"Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning," I grumbled under my breath, wiping off a table with few crumbs leftover from a soldier's breakfast.
I'd been stuck cleaning up after the soldiers of the Ruination for what felt like weeks now. Not only that but there was strictly training-only days as well. My life was a repetition of cleaning and training.
Reyes hadn't been the one training me either. He would watch from a distance, but Kash kept him busy with errands of his own. I knew Kash was punishing me with training that involved more physical and emotional workouts rather than fine-tuning of the things I already knew. The soldiers that trained me were boring, saying the same things over and over again, repeating the same workouts almost everyday.
This little piece of punishment made me appreciate and miss Reyes' tactics that much more.
"There's the janitor."
I paused at my wiping and rolled my eyes. "Hello to you too, Reyes."
The man plopped down at the table I was cleaning, making the liquid inside the bottle of cleaner wiggle like Jello. I continued with my task, focusing on a small stain.
"How's everything going?"
"Never thought I'd be cleaning up after my own comrades," I muttered, shrugging.
"So I guess that's you enjoying your punishment."
"It's better than some I suppose," I flung down the white rag onto the table and faced him. "Why are you here?"
Reyes was already looking at me with those strong eyes that held the blue sunsets of Bahama waters. Yes, I could definitely see the ripples of the the sparkling salt water and the gulls cawing as they soared over it. It was a mural in two small objects, so real I could almost taste the salt, a virgin to pollution, strictly fresh.
"I wanted to offer you a little training session."
"Kash gave you permission?"
"I don't need it technically."
"Well technically since you didn't take back your rank-"
"Technically I'm older than you and you should respect my word."
"That's an awfully weird word of advice."
"It wasn't advice," Reyes narrowed his eyes. "Come with me, Terra. Get away from this...shit."
"Fine," I set down the spray bottle and towel, wringing my hands.
Reyes stood up from the table and began to walk off towards the armory. I followed shortly behind, watching the way his heels landed and came back up as he walked. The left one landed slightly further in than the toes in front of it as if Reyes was sore indefinitely. Funny how the littlest things were intriguing or entertaining.
"Your friend today is the Trinity R2."
"Never heard of it," I crossed my arms as Reyes picked up the smaller rifle.
"That's because Slade has been working hard to make some new weapons that SDF forces don't have. Here."
I took the weapon, almost tossing it around by my pinky fingers. "It's light."
"Extremely."
"Details? Features?"
"Low recoil, regenerating laser bullets that can hit targets hundreds of yards away with ease. Built in red dot and the gun locks on to targets to guide the shooter."
"I don't need help."
"It's nice to have, trust me," Reyes lead me towards the range. "Get ready."
I changed my stance, my form becoming solid to prepare for shots fired. Reyes backed off slightly, pressing a digital button to make targets pop up. They were realistic soldiers, running around with real weapons. It was even more intimidating when you went in the simulator and were running around as if you were actually in another world, another dimension. I'd never enjoyed those days.
"Lean into the weapon more," Reyes suggested as I fired off bullets of dark yellow.
There were two modes on the weapon: rapid and burst. Both were deadly accurate, making it hard to miss. I only missed because my stance wasn't right. Reyes knew that I knew that.
After a few more targets had been hit and more mutters had come from Reyes, he shut off the system and stepped towards me.
"Like this."
His hand came to rest on my elbow and I felt my shoulders tense, picking themselves upwards. Reyes put his other hand on mine holding underneath the barrel. He slid my hand forwards, and then pressed the butt of the rifle deeper into my shoulder. I glanced at him, watching as his blue eyes traveled to where his hand rested on my elbow.
"Don't tense your shoulders but do use the muscles in them. Also, the farther your hand is out the more balance you will have. to a point at least."
"I know this."
"Why aren't you shooting like it?"
"Because I-" I broke off, unable to actually finish the sentence.
I what? Most of the things Reyes had reminded me of and shown me were things I already knew. I knew them especially well. So why was I so sloppy? Forgetful? It couldn't be that I was sore or sick or anything like so. There was only one common denominator: Nick Reyes.
He was my distraction without actually being distracting. There was something about him, an aura of some sort, that didn't allow me to entirely focus. It was him, whether he was there or not. Reyes was the reason why I couldn't be the soldier I knew exactly how to be.
I had to fight against that pull he naturally had.
"If you're so much better, why don't we have a competition?" I moved myself away from Reyes, his fingers sliding off my elbow agonizingly sluggish.
"Competition?"
"If I win, you have to clean up for me for my last two shifts and answer a question about the past you've been keeping from us. If I lose, then everything goes back to normal."
He cocked his left eyebrow, crossing his arms. "And I have to answer a question?"
"Yes."
"Deal."
Reyes grabbed another Trinity R2, placing himself in the slot next to mine. I glared at him playfully, reaching to press the button to begin the shootout on the hardest setting.
We began shooting, our first three bullets hitting the same target in two different spots. Reyes let out a huff of annoyance and I smirked. So alike yet so different we were.
The targets disappeared after coming back for a mindless battle that they lost every time. Even when they used different tactics, such as ducking and weaving, they fell dead to the ground, bullet holes in either their chests or faces. Fake blood did fall, the training system forcing practicing soldiers to see the real thing itself. We wanted everyone to be prepared for what could happen out there, especially blood because there tended to be a lot of it spilled.
After three rounds, two best out of three, Reyes pressed the buttons to end the contest. Amazingly and impossibly I'd found a way to out shoot him by one point. That meant one extra bullet hit, one nick or scrape.
It would've been just a battle wound, which would turn into a scar, if the moment had been real.
"Well done."
I realized that Reyes had repeated his comment and shook my head. "Thank you."
"I suppose that I now must finish your duties for you."
"And answer a question!" I reminded, hanging the Trinity R2 up onto its rack.
"Right," he copied my movements, walking over to me. "What question shall I answer?"
I opened my mouth to answer and then quickly closed it with nothing to say.
You didn't think about a question, you stupid-
"Who is Nora Saltar?"
The question hung in the air like morning fog during winter months- unwanted yet strangely enjoyable. It was the attack of a mountain lion, unexpected yet survivable if handled correctly.
Reyes had turned cold, his eyes glazing over like ice on a lake. His muscles also froze over, shifting to a solid piece that didn't dare move and upset the attacking mountain lion. His gaze felt like it was directed at me yet he was actually looking just above the top of my head, towards the back of the room, to avoid the question.
Or so I thought.
"You know the answer already."
I cocked my head. "Do I? That's why I'm asking isn't it, just to reopen wounds of the past?"
We both knew that wasn't me.
He sighed. "Saltar was my closest friend. She was there for me and I her."
"That's all?"
"I can hardly remember her face nowadays, but I remember her voice always telling me that I was crazy," Reyes chuckled, not meeting my gaze. "I ordered her to blow that base, to kill me. And she listened, despite her knowing what it would do. If I was ever able to see her again, I would praise her, tell her that that it was the best thing she's ever done even though she most likely knows it to this day."
"You can see her again," I gained a surprised look from him. "She's still alive in a retirement home in America."
"I don't-"
"Oh shut up, Caleb I can beat you any day!"
I looked over my shoulder to where the siblings were coming into the range. Reyes set the gun down, a slam that I depicted as something like frustration or annoyance. The two didn't see the attitude behind the slam of the rack.
"Perhaps later?"
The voice of Reyes was hard and stiff with emotion I couldn't interpret. He pressed past me, the heat from his body slapping me across the cheek. I blinked, licked the inside of my upper lip and then walked in the opposite direction.
"Where are you going? Want to shoot?" Caleb and Caitlyn were both looking at me.
Reyes paused by the other exit, not glancing over his shoulder to give himself away.
"No thanks," I swallowed. "I've already had enough of a competition today."
- - -
It's been a month since I've updated this...YIKESSS. I'm so sorry! But it's winter break now so I'll have to make up for it ;)
Hope you enjoyed!
~MS~